A woman flying on Delta says she was hit with a strong smell during her flight, only to find out it was coming from her seatmate’s snack. The moment was caught on video and shared on TikTok, where it has since gone viral.
The video was posted by a user named Caitlin Alexis. In the clip, she films herself in a close-up selfie shot while sitting inside the plane. On-screen text reads that she smelled something bad, and jokes that it was “not the tupperware of hard-boiled eggs at 30,000 feet. This should be illegal”
The video has been viewed 534,000 times and has received 36,100 likes and more than 1,300 comments. Her caption for the TikTok video reads, “straight to the no-fly list @delta,” along with the hashtags #travel #traveltiktok #flying #travelnightmare #selfaware.
Video shows passenger reacting to smell before turning camera toward seatmate’s food container
The video starts with Caitlin looking distressed and touching her forehead while speaking to the camera. Text on the screen explains what she is reacting to before the camera reveals the cause. Air travel etiquette disputes can escalate quickly, as when a Delta passenger used the gate microphone at LAX to demand help after no customer service agents showed up.
The camera then pans to the right, showing the person sitting next to her. That passenger is holding a large, open plastic container filled with several peeled hard-boiled eggs. The other passenger’s face is not shown in the video, but their hand holding the container is visible.
The camera then returns to Caitlin, who still looks shocked. She covers her face with her hand and says, “I am floored right now. Oh my God, I’m gonna die.” The video ends with her still showing a distressed expression. Other travelers have also aired grievances about in-flight annoyances, such as when a Delta passenger complained that a PA announcement blocked his screen during a crucial World Cup penalty kick.
According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), hard-boiled eggs are allowed in carry-on luggage since they are solid food and not a liquid or gel. Travel site Travel Pander also notes that while hard-boiled eggs are permitted, they can have a strong smell, which may bother other passengers in the confined space of an airplane cabin. The site also recommends packing them in a sealed container to help reduce the odor.
Many social media users reacted to the video by sharing their own opinions and experiences with strong-smelling or messy habits on flights. One commenter wrote, “The way I would complain so loudly.” Another said they would take matters into their own hands, writing, “I would start spraying perfume idc we can all suffer.”
Some commenters shared their own uncomfortable flight experiences. One person wrote, “Once in a flight the lady beside me did her nails the whole flight, acetone and all… Though i was gonna suffocate and die lol.”
Others pointed out that bringing food on a plane isn’t common, and joked about the specific choice of snack. One comment read, “No one brings their own food on a plane, but when they do it’s eggs and fish.”
A different commenter argued that flight manners in general have changed, writing, “Plane etiquette has truly disappeared in 2026.” Another user made a broader comment connecting the situation to other common flight complaints, writing, “The people that bring stinky eggs on a plane are probably the same people that complain about children on flights.”
Published: Aug 16, 2026 10:45 am